1 882.] Anthropology. 919 



Mr. Whittlesey strenuously maintained that we have not suffi- 

 cient evidence to predicate that the occurrence of the cross so 

 frequently in American antiquities has anything to do with reli- 

 gion, much less with European influences of any kind. 



Messrs. Perkins and Currier each described collections of great 

 value which they had in their possession. 



Dr. Rau described the opening of a stone grave in Illinois, con- 

 taining the remains of a Kaskaskia Indian, thereby casting a 

 doubt upon the opinion that the stone graves contain the remains 

 of a race long since extinct and wholly different from our mod- 

 ern Indians. 



Mr. Gatschet, from a long study of the religions of our abo- 

 rigines, was able to classify their myths, and gave to the section 

 the Klamath story of Old Bear and Little Weasel. The author 

 is sure that he has discovered a substratum of nature worship 

 under all our American religions. 



Mrs. Smith has continued her researches among the Tusca- 

 roras and other Iroquois tribes, and among cfther things carefully- 

 noted the manner in which the pagans took on Christianity, in 

 many cases blending the pagan rites with those of the church. 



Miss Fletcher has lived in the wigwams of the Omahas, Oga- 

 lallas and Brules, and has familiarized herself with that part of 

 their domestic life not exhibited to the eyes of men. Her de- 

 scription of the sun-dance was exceptionally interesting. 



Mr. Douglass exhibited a collection of beautifully polished 

 stone implements from Florida. 



Mr. Phene was one of the foreign guests, and gave an illus- 

 trated lecture upon similarities of monumental remains through- 

 out the world. 



Mr. Hale, the ethnographer of the Wilkes' expedition, from a 

 long study of the transformations of words from tribe to tribe in 

 our various Indian stocks, was able to make some valuable deduc- 

 tions respecting the former movements of our aborigines. 



Mr. Putnam in his four papers, described his own personal 

 researches in the capacity of curator of the Peabody Museum. 

 His large experience and good sense caused his communications 

 to be listened to with a great deal of interest. 



Mr. Dorsey, in our view, made the most valuable additions to 

 our knowledge. Each of his papers is a monument to his great 

 pains and personal research. In the former he has discovered a 

 sort of Grimm - ' ro 1 innin . throughout the entire Sioux stock. 

 In the latter he lias ir, -ration than Air. iM or- 



gan, the rules of consanguinity and affinity in two of them. 



Mr. Haliburton entertained the section with the recital of his 

 experiences in the country of the Shuluhs or Shelhahs, south of 

 the Morocco and in the Canary islands. The persistence with 

 which old Greek and Semitic myths have continued in this re- 

 gion is truly marvelous. 



